


The Two-Faced Breeze

by SystematicAphrodite



Category: Tales of Crestoria
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Aegis needs a love that won't be detrimental to his health, Crossdressing, Developing Relationship, Emotional Baggage, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Feelings Realization, Friendship/Love, Gen, Romance, Secret Admirer, Secret Identity, Slice of Life, Warnings applied to specific chapters, if you actually read this I'll cry, vicious and yuna are chaotic matchmakers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-13
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28737705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SystematicAphrodite/pseuds/SystematicAphrodite
Summary: Kanata and the gang get stranded in a port town that rivals Centerport for its love of the arts. While they await repairs to their ship and look for work to pay the bill off, they meet the town's local enigma late at night in an odd little inn. Little do they know, biding their time attempting to unravel this mystery of a woman will be both entertaining and rewarding for all involved, particularly for Aegis.
Relationships: Aegis Alver/OC, Aegis Alver/Original Character(s)





	1. The Inn's Local Banshee

**Author's Note:**

> This was written so Aegis can have something to be happy about in life while exploring some of his character flaws and quirks, since Bamco has permanently made him the butt of every joke. NONE of his in-game quest ending interactions with his team are positive, and the side stories are driving me up the wall with how he's constantly treated. I just want the guy to have some fun.
> 
> I've never written in this structure before, but I thought it'd be fun to break up the sections like how the game's quest stories are broken up.

**THE INN’S LOCAL BANSHEE**

“It’s getting to be quite ze thorn in our side to keep stopping like zis.”

“Well, considering there’s literal children with no naval experience helping to drive the boat, it’s to be expected that we keep running into trouble.”

“Aegis, you don’t have naval experience either, right? You’re probably just going off of the books you read while you were at the knight academy.”

“Er, regardless, while we wait for the ship’s repairs this time, we should discuss how we’re going to pay off the debt this time. We were lucky to come across this artisan hostel.” 

“The innkeeper said that most people who stay here don’t pay for their rooms because they have goals in the entertainment business and finding good work there can be tough.”

“Just a bunch of scam artists staying here for free sounds like my kind of people.”

“Except,” Aegis wagged a finger. “We will still offer to earn our keep here, despite the low standards.”

Vicious snatched the room key from his hand. “Bah, you all can take care of the bill, I’ll only help out if there’s alcohol-”

A loud shrill scream echoed down the hall, followed by the slamming of a door around a corner the gang couldn’t see. “-Or if there’s something for me to shoot.” 

He didn’t state the obvious, but he never had to with Kanata around. “That sounded like someone was in trouble!” Quickly, the blond bounded for the source of the scream. 

With the rest of the group close behind him, it was only a few more moments before they came across a surprisingly empty scene. If you ignored the hyperventilating woman on the floor. Yuna approached, kneeling on the ground to reach the woman’s eye level. Messy curls were strewn about her small frame, the long dark toussels touching the ground in time with her panicked breaths.

“Mademoiselle, are you alright?” Tentatively, she placed a hand on the woman’s back. “Just breathe, it’s okay.”

A room a couple doors away opened, the stranger calling down. “Is everything okay here? Do I need to call for the guardsmen? There’s been news of some ne’er do wells coming in recently.”

The transgressors flinched and not a single one of them dared to face the gentleman. They already took their chances with the woman, if this guy had any inkling as to who they were, it’d be over for them. “It’s fine, head back to bed, buddy.” As much as he was itching for a fight, Vicious really wanted to get some real shuteye in a bed that didn’t rock with the waves, and so he hoped this would be enough to send the guy on his way.

“I wasn’t asking the weirdos who’re cloaked indoors, I was asking the crying lady they’re surrounding. Do you need help, ma’am?”

Yuna backed away when the curled-up figure sat up, dewy round but sharp eyes passing quick judgment on her and her companions. The woman fixed the mess of hair around her, pulling it all behind her back. Slender fingers swiped at the drying tear streaks along an equally sharp jawline. Her eyes landed on Vicious’ mark, the tattoo still visible under his lazily draped cloak. 

The great transgressor’s trigger finger twitched when those same dark scrutinizing eyes landed on his face, her angle on the ground perfect to unveil every hidden identity in front of her, save for Yuna’s. Another, agonizingly long second passed, and the woman answered the worried stranger down the hall. “Ha, no need for the guard, this group only responded to my freakout. But hey, at least you can tell Heim that you saw the inn’s local banshee!”

The man took a moment, and called back. “Banshee? The innkeeper said the ghost of a workaholic lived at the end of that hall. Is it haunting you?”

“Nope, that’d be my business partner! No worries, and sorry to wake you! The weirdos in cloaks will help me out from here.” Her cheerful demeanor and straight posture fell apart the moment the other inn room door was closed. “Ha, dang it. Sorry to bother you all like that it was just -” She took a deep breath. “-nothing. It was nothing, you can all head back to your rooms, sorry…” 

Yuna pushed, “Non, zat scream was not nothing! You are still visibly upset and shaken!”

“That door slam was pretty loud too,” Kanata pointed out. “Is whoever upset you is still inside?”

The tired woman laughed a bit, "I hope not."

It was then that Aegis added his two cents. “Ma’am, as I’m sure you know who we are by now - thanks to these shabby disguises - perhaps as a thank you for not reporting us, we could inspect the room to make sure the intruder has left?”

She tilted her head at him, a brief moment of amusement on her features until her eyes settled on him for the first time. Yuna silently commended the woman for how quickly the woman was able to kill all emotion on her face. The reporter felt she had turned to stone in front of her, not even a breath left the figure. 

Then the next moment, the statue of a woman became angry, defiantly angry. “NO! No need. It was… it was… a bad nightmare! I'll head back in after a moment.” 

Vicious and Yuna’s eyes connected, as if they telepathically knew the other was thinking something similar to the lines of  _ "Ooooh, now that's interesting. _ ”

**JUST A SIDE EFFECT**

Aegis kneeled to her and Yuna’s level, “Ma'am, as a knight, I cannot let a frightened maiden be left alone in this harrowed state.”

Scrunched eyebrows accented the small childish scowl, “Well, Sir Knight, knowing that makes me feel a whole lot worse knowing I bugged you and your friends over this. It's really nothing, so don't worry about it.”

Kanata, ever the ignorant, made a suggestion. "Then we'll compromise, we'll help you back into your room!" 

The ex-knight added, “We promise not to push further if you’re adamant that what frightened you is gone.” Aegis subsequently held a hand out to help her up. 

She stared at him again for a moment then shifted to look at his hand, conflict in her eyes before she took it.

Misella slowly joined Vicious and Yuna in realizing what was developing after seeing the woman snatch her hand away after standing up.

"Ay, mon cherie, your legs, zey are shaking!”

”That's just a side effect of getting scared out of your mind, or so I've heard. It'll go away. You all really don't need to escort me back.”

“I cannot turn a blind eye to this.”

Kanata added, “And if whatever or whoever scared you is still in there-” 

“We'll give 'em a scare of their own!” Vicious gave a snide smirk at the thought.

The woman, exasperated, walked down the hallway to her room with Misella and Yuna supporting her on either side. She'd mostly recovered her stride by the time they get to the door, and once she opens it, Kanata begins to push her in. “Is it gone?”

Aegis chided the boy, “Kanata!”

“No need to get angry, there is a ghost about here, he has a right to be spooked. But I’m certain my scream scared it off.” 

“Is that what scared you out of your room?” 

“The ghost? Ha, no. I’m a banshee, didn’t you hear? The dead don’t scare me. The living are the truly frightening ones. Thanks for walking me back.” 

Aegis piped up, “Thank you for protecting our identities. Are you certain you’ll be alright?”

Eyes wide, she nods quickly, "Mm-hmm! Yes, sorry again to have disturbed you all, g-good night Sir Knight -- and everyone else!” And shut the door. 

**SCARED OF ME?**

Yuna smirking all the while with Vicious. "Oh la la, Aegrouch, the madam seemed a bit on edge because of you!” She jabbed at the silver-haired man’s shoulder playfully.

Kanata cocked his head to one side, “On-edge? Did Aegis scare her somehow?” 

Aghast, Aegis stopped walking with the group. “What? Why would she be scared of me? I merely wanted to assist her.”

Vicious crossed his arms and continued walking, "Your goody two shoes act is actually working, huh? I’m stunned." 

“Act? I was genuinely concerned for her! She was still hesitant to return to her room, so the source of her fear may still be in there.” The stubborn knight briefly jogged to catch up to everyone, noting how not one stopped their stride.

Misella queried, "Do you think it's a person?" 

Yuna giggled, "Non, I do not think zhe would keep that a secret just because of Aegrouch." 

"What do you mean by that? That the reason she didn't tell us what caused her to scream bloody murder and run out of her room in her nightclothes - was because of me?" 

Kanata pondered, "Hmm, why would she keep it a secret just 'cause Aegis was here?" 

Misella stood next to Kanata, reaching up to adjust his hood. "Maybe she's embarrassed, she mentioned his knightly role was making her feel bad.” She shot a glare out of the side of her eye.

Aegis shirked under the intense look. "Urk… well that was not my intention. I was hoping she'd be more open to telling us what was wrong if she knew I'm a knight.” 

"Ex-knight," Misella’s judging stare didn’t waver.

"Argh, yes. Besides! This is all just conjecture! I still don’t understand why that would make her feel uncomfortable.”

"Ah, madam merely mentioned it made her feel bad, zhe refused to tell us before you even lied to her about being a kn-" 

**NO ILL INTENTIONS**

A loud crashing sound echoed down the hallway, punctuated by more shuffling and a harsh thud against the door. 

The gang spun on their heel as Vicious pointed out, "Looks like whatever it was didn't go away like she claimed." 

They ran through the couple of turning corridors and found the room once again, the woman nowhere insight. Aegis knocked on the door, while Yuna called out. "Cherie? Are you okay in zere?"

The tense silence lasted "Y-yes, I'm fine… did - did you all stay nearby?" 

Yuna looked at Kanata and Vicious and pushed Aegis away, silently shushing his wouldbe loud declaration with her hand. "Non, just me and miss mademoiselle are 'ere at ze door. Could you open up? I don't want to talk too loud."

A moment passed, the group exchanging quiet glances at each other, until the door opened. The boys all plastered themselves against the wall to avoid being seen, Kanata and Vicious each pulling an arm of the ex-knight. 

The woman spoke up, after giving an odd look of frustration and almost sad anger. "Sorry again, I did my best not to scream, but it's like I get possessed. I thought I took care of it. Ugh, I should have just gone to bed. It'd be over and I'd have slept through it none the wiser. You know what? I'm just going to pay for a different room." 

Yuna brought up a hand in a feeble attempt to stop the woman from leaving the room and down the stairs. "Cherie! Annnnnd zhe's gone… Hmm, perhaps we shou- Kanana! What are you doing?" 

The young transgressor had taken advantage of the swinging room door to shove his boot between it and the door frame. "Finding out what scared her so bad that she ran away but won't tell us what it is!"

Misella wrung her hands in disappointment. "Rooting around in another woman's room… Kanata…" 

Aegis noted the young girl’s burning ire. "I’m sure Kanata has no ill intentions, Misella." 

Vicious snickered, "I do. Let's see what scared her, and what kind of lady has been charmed by our local stick-in-the-mud." He slithered into the room before Aegis could chide him. "Oy, anyone here!?"

The rest followed in and spread out for answers. The suite was set up similar to theirs, sans the mess. It looked like a fight had broken out - chairs toppled over and a shattered glass and tea cup. Upon inspection, Aegis noted, "The glass looks like it was dropped from the table and full of water while the teacup is bone dry…"

Kanata made a pass at the desk of strewn notebooks and papers. "Ah, look at this! Is she a writer? This reads, 'The woman jumped in front of her lover to block the bullet, but her mana shield was completely ineffective as it struck her breast.' How dark!" 

Misella joins him at the desk and opens a notebook, "She draws too. Look, Kanata, I think she designs clothes. They're so intricate and pretty." 

"Ooh, that one is really stylish! Maybe we can ask her if we can copy these styles for our own wardrobes?"

"Bah, there's no one else here - why'd she rent a room of this size then? I was hoping to bust the head or two of an abusive boyfriend or stalker tonight. What a waste of time, tsk!" 

"You might be right about ze boyfriend thing, Vicious. Look 'ere, zere are men's clothes in ze closet." 

"Oh? Well, that's bad news for Aegis."

"For me? What does her male companion have to do with me?" 

"Eh, the guy's pretty short."

"I wonder where in zhe world he'd go in the middle of zhe night… leaving the poor mademoiselle alone and scared." 

Kanata exclaimed with a loud, "Whoa!" 

While Misella gave a small "Eep!" The others turned to see Misella clinging to Kanata's arm in what should be meek maidenlike fear but her other hand was extended and ready to ignite the desk. 

Aegis was quick to pull her hand away. "Misella! Put your flames away! Are you trying to burn all of her work!?"

Yuna looked over at the desk, her hands pushing some sketches and notes out of the way. “What’s zis? A spider?” 

Vicious was next to the journalist and simply lifted a sketchbook. “Well, just crush it.” 

The ex-knight switched targets to hold back Vicious’ wrist from its downward motion. “Not with that! My gosh, you all have no respect for artists. Now the cups make sense.”

Kanata tilted his head, “What do you mean, Aegis?”

“The broken glass and cup were emptied of any liquids, and the pages on the floor were blank save for some scribbles. I believe she was trying to catch it.” Sure enough, directing the group’s attention to the floor showed there was no spill from either cup, the water was separate from the shattered glass. 

“Why wouldn’t she just kill it? It’d be easier. Plus, it’s pretty big...”

“I don’t know, personal preference? We should just take care of it for her.” Aegis lifted a blank sheet of paper and nudged it under the spider. Then it jumped. 

A cluster of surprised grunts occurred from the transgressors. “Well. Now we know why zhe screamed. When ‘er beau comes back, I have some words for him...”

Misella left Kanata’s side to grab another clean cup to hand to Aegis, and in one swift motion he caught the bugger. “Gotcha! Now to let you loose outside.” 

Vicious threw his hands behind his head as he followed the group out of the room. “Yeah, this isn’t the best inn to leave your girl at all alone. Maybe I should offer to keep her company…” 

Aegis huffed incredulously, “Absolutely not, you’ll shoot holes in her room if this pest has friends. We’ll ask her when she expects the gentleman to return.”

  
  


**WASN'T PLANNING TO SLEEP**

“Ah, there she is!” Kanata raced over to the woman, who was sitting alone at an empty bar table, her head in her hands and back facing them. “Miss!” She didn’t move initially, assuming it was a call for someone else. 

“Hey, you!” Vicious took the imprisoned spider and slammed the makeshift cage on the table in front of her. “We took care of it.” She leapt out of her seat and slammed her back into Vicious, who didn’t budge behind her. “This is what had you howling like you were being killed?” He caged her in with his arms, forcing her back to the table. 

Misella quietly noted, “She’s terrified of it…” 

Kanata agreed, “Yeah… hey Vicious? Maybe you shouldn’t --”

“I lost sleep over this little eight-legged stain all because this lady couldn’t kill it herself. So I’m going to get some answers so this wasn’t a complete waste of my time!” He leaned in, finally feeling some actual resistance from her to his weighing pressure. “Now, you’re going to answer us truthfully, and if I like your answers, I’ll back off bit by bit. If I get a hint that you’re trying to lie again, you’ll kiss the spider before your man comes back, got it?”

A shaky breath rattled her ribcage before she let loose a solid exhale and rewarded Vicious with a deadly stare from the corner of her eye. “Fine, let’s play. I wasn’t planning to sleep anyway.”

“Tee-hee, good. I’ll start - why didn’t you kill it, got a pacifist nature to ya?”

She shook out another shiver as she stared at the creature in the glass. “No, I just didn’t think I’d need to kill it. They kill other bugs, and things didn’t escalate to a point where killing it would be my last resort. I was going to nudge it off the table, then… it jumped.”

“Still think you’d have saved us the trouble if you squished it.”

“It’s huge. And my shoe wouldn’t cover that. If I missed, it would have… it would have…” She gripped the edge of the bar table and pushed back at Vicious. “That wasn’t a question.” 

“Ah, you’re right. Kanata, do you have a question for the scaredy cat?”

“Me!? Umm, why didn’t you tell us that it was a spider in the first place? We thought someone might’ve broken into your room.” 

She gave a tired smile and leaned on a hand, “Well someone did break in, just the intruder was 3 inches long. It landed on my head from the ceiling, and I panicked… badly. I didn’t want to tell you the commotion was all over a spider. It’s… embarrassing. I write and spin scenes that are a thousand times more intriguing and scare-inducing than what actually scares me.”

Yuna perked up and leaned on the counter next to the woman, “I was going to ask about zat, so I’ll take my turn! Zere is men’s clothes in your room -- where is zhe owner of those clothes, and why wasn’t ‘e around to help?” 

“Oh, um… he doesn’t sleep. Much. This is just one of those nights where he won’t be back at the inn until morning. I’ll let him know what you all did for me, so he can give his thanks tomorrow.”

“Alright, I think that’s enough questioning. Vicious, you’ve yet to back off like you promised.” Aegis leaned around them and snatched away the glass and paper prison. “Release her.” 

“Aw, but she was actually putting up a fight.” He whined as he stepped away. “Always ruining the fun. Even if you didn’t wanna, Misella didn’t get to ask a question.”

The woman straightened out her sleeveless top, and looked at the young girl. “She can still ask it, like I said, I doubt I’m going back to sleep.”

“Oh? Hmm. The man who is staying with you - do you love him?”

Aegis nearly tripped over himself as he wheeled around to berate her. “Misella, that’s not appropriate to ask.”

“No, it’s fine, Sir Knight, I’ll answer- no skin off my back.” She gave a professional smile. “No. I don’t love him. At all. I need him for my work. I hate him really. It’s complicated. I hope to one day be rid of him to be honest.”

Yuna queried, “Is ‘e hurting you?”

The woman adjusted her messy braid and wrapped it into a bun behind her neck. “Hmm, now that I think about it. Yes, but also no. Emotionally, having to depend on him hurts me immensely. But he does no physical harm to me, besides him being the more highly desirable out of the two of us. Just means I can reap the benefits without the fame, you know? Anyway, if I keep you all awake any longer, I think I’ll stunt your growth. He’ll thank you all in the morning. Just - don’t be too harsh on him because of what I said, okay?”

“Do you need an escort back to your room?” Vicious raised his eyebrows as he watched Aegis chase after her up the stairs with a question of his own.

The woman half-turned on the stairs and looked back. “Is... that your one question for me, Sir Knight?” 

“Yes.” Yuna sulked at the ex-knight’s dry and curt answer. 

The woman huffed a laugh through her nose. “Heh, I might as well take it. You’ve done so much for me already. Thank you.” Aegis quickly joined her at the top of the stairs and they disappeared around the corner. 

“Ugh, how much do you want to bet he’s going to lead this lady on too? Will he ever learn his lesson?” 

Yuna pouted, “Perhaps not. It might be ‘is turn to do the chasing. Look ‘ere.” She swiped a folded page out of her satchel and handed it to Vicious. Misella and Kanata eagerly looked over as well to see a crudely written list.

“Go Go Avalanche Summer Festival - 30 minutes… Interview with Go Go Avalanche Summer Episode - 1 hour… Drama Festival Script Entry - 3 scripts, 45 minutes each… GGA Card Design Contest… Eh? This is the weird automaton stuff that he likes!” 

“Ah, so she’s a writer for the books?”

“Non, ze credits here seem to suggest a guest writer for zhe dramas and specials, and zhe seems to be a card designer too. Ve didn’t get to ask ‘er if everything in there was ‘ers or the man’s. We’ll have to ask ‘im in ze morning. ‘E might be ‘er manager or agent.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it this far, I hope you have a lovely and fantastic week, no matter when you read this. I'm a very private person and releasing my stories has made me extremely nervous. I write stories with unusual female love interests and have decided to give Aegis one that I truly hope fits him. I've rewritten these author notes 4 times to give you an idea of how nerve-wracking this is to me. 
> 
> Please feel free to point out any typos or sentences that make no sense - this was initially written as an idea dump and I tried to clean it up as best I can for others to read. 
> 
> Before You Ask: 
> 
> -The setting is before Chapter 6 since it hasn't been released yet so mister-lazybones-who-loves-his-wife-and-daughter will not be making an appearance unfortunately as I don't want to write something that conflicts with his canon personality.  
> -The story rating will increase up to Explicit as it develops.


	2. Vidblainn Chiral and the Nameless Banshee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang is rewarded for the heroic act of removing a spider from the banshee's room and meet her missing roommate - who Aegis recognizes for his talent on his favorite series. Confusion ensues and odd jobs are accepted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep changing the tags as I don't know how this system works. 
> 
> Warnings: homophobic comments (1), sexual harassment, cursing.

**AN HONOR TO MEET YOU, MR. CHIRAL**

The following morning, the gang was welcomed to a couple of small gift baskets outside their door, one in front of the men’s room, and the other in front of the women’s room. It was filled with snacks and trinkets, along with small colorful sketches on cardstock. 

  
  


_ Thank you all for your assistance with my assistant last night. I’ll be by the bar until noon today, so feel free to visit me so I can thank you all face-to-face. _

_ Sincerely, Vidblainn Chiral _

Aegis looked like someone shoved an invisible rock in his mouth. 

“Aegrouch, do you recognize who this is?” Yuna had brought the basket from their room over with Misella in tow.

“Do I? I’d be a fool not to! Vidblainn Chiral is an artist and supporting writer for Mechaknight Avalanche’s spinoffs and card game. He’s designed 6 of the UltraRare cards, and 8 SuperRare cards, with two out-of-print Supreme UltraRares from when he first debuted 5 years ago. He got his start sending in his fanworks and hand sewn costume pieces directly to the publishing house and they invited him to be an official contributor. To think he’s actually here for the winter drama debut… It’s unheard of.” 

Pink eyebrows scrunched together in curiosity, only partially comprehending the last sentence in his rant. “Winter drama?”

“Yes, he’s been a key scriptwriter for the seasonal dramas for the past 2 years.” Aegis rattled the fact while mulling over the little sketches. “These are essentially priceless.” 

Vicious swiped at hand at the drawings, noting how easily the ex-knight dodged him. “Hold on, did you plan our pit stop here specifically so you should sneak off and watch the show?” 

“N-no! It was just pure, happy coincidence!” Aegis avoided any further retort and left the room. 

“He’s like a little kid. It’s kind of cute.” Yuna smirked as she set down the basket and followed him out.

~

The man was standing over the bar, ignoring the empty stool. He was fully involved with his notes when Aegis arrived. The only clue Aegis had that this was who he was looking for was the small miniature of Springtime Mechaknight Avalanche hanging off the man's satchel which matched one of the card sketches they were gifted. The mini-figurine's bright, flowery color greatly contrasted with the muted earthy tones of the writer's outfit: a brown cardigan shielding a tan fitted v-neck knit sweater, its white border accented with a green shirt collar and black tie. The sweater was tucked neatly into black slacks with a brown belt, the straight form of the tailored pants giving a slim and thin silhouette over white heeled boots. Thin wire frames sat on a seemingly straight nose. A green eye that wasn’t shielded by a long tuft of hair over his face shifted over the paperwork on the bar table, while his partially gloved hand stroked the short but trimmed stubble lining his jaw. 

“It’s an honor to meet you Mr. Chiral! I’ve been a fan of your works since the first Spring special 4 years ago!" Aegis was astute enough in his revelry to notice how surprised his admiree looked, almost dismayed if he was honest. He quickly moved the subject along, hoping the fear was due to a fan approaching so loudly and not that Vidblainn recognized him as a wanted transgressor. "The woman you’re accompanying - I hope she’s doing fine this morning? I realize now we forgot to ask for her name.” 

As the rest of Aegis's companions caught up, Vidblainn shook off the initial shock on his face with a silent chuckle and wrote on his notepad. 

Yuna quirked an eyebrow and noted he had tabulated a notebook, jotting down things with a thin graphite stick.  _ Happy to meet a fan, please enjoy the sketches and gifts. Her name is unimportant.  _

Vicious sneered at the paper, “Ah, why can’t we know her name?”

Vidblainn huffed another airy laugh as he scribbled,  _ She’s just an assistant. Besides, you asked  _ _ me _ _ for her name and not her. Her name wasn’t important until you learned I was her companion. So she’s unimportant. I have an interview to go to. _

Vidblainn paused.  _ She’ll be back from shopping later tonight. If you still care to know. You can ask her then. Thank you again for helping her last night. _

He bowed, the long braid that sat over his heart swinging with the motion and he quickly strided out the inn with his effects. 

Vicious whistled impressively, “Sheesh, they really don’t like each other, huh?” 

“Poor madam… to be stuck with an uncaring man like that. But do we really 'ave a leg to stand on when none of us asked 'er name?”

Aegis frowned at the empty doorway. “No, we don’t. We’ll make amends with her tonight.”

The Great Transgressor scoffed, “So you can befriend Vidblainn? He doesn’t like her. I say just focus on him if you’re looking to get some juicy insider info for your little fanboy club.”

White curls shook decisively. “That would wholly be unfair to her since it was our chance acquaintance that we got to meet Vidblainn. Besides… she mentioned she writes and draws as well… but all of the specials are credited to him only. I don’t recall a woman being on either the writing team or as a card designer.”

“Maybe zhe’s an apprentice? So she ‘elps 'im with ideas and 'e takes the credit?”

Kanata flared, “If that’s true, that’d make all of this even worse!”

"If this Vidblainn guy as popular as Aegis says he is, and he’s this shitty, we should rob him.”

“Stop, stop, this is all conjecture at this point. We need to gather more information before we make any ill assumptions on his character.” 

“So how do we go about--” 

“Argh! What a pain in the ass…!” The innkeeper slammed down a folder filled with papers on the other side of the bar.

“S-sorry!?” Kanata recoiled.   
  


Upon hearing his apology across the way, the innkeeper quickly corrected their statement. "Oh, not you, dear. We have a calling board for odd jobs and I got the dumbest one in a while. Stupid little…" Dark hands adjusted slips of paper threatening to escape the barely constrained pile. 

Aegis perked up, “Odd jobs? Like for pay?” 

“Mmhmm. You all interested?” They flipped the folder open and grimaced when a handful of sheets flew off in different directions on the table. 

"Very, may we have a chance to peruse it? We have a number of things to pay off before we leave here." 

"Sure, you can check out this one first. This caller is always asking for models for sketching poses. Thinking you all have enough variety in shape to fit the bill and get your bills paid. Well, bills outside of the inn."

Silver eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Accepting these calls won't reduce our room and board costs?" 

The innkeeper adjusted their half-moon glasses as they sorted out the rogue sheets. "No, because that's all being paid for you already." 

"How is that possible? We haven't paid anything." 

A low chuckle escaped them and gave a soft smile. "You answered Vidblainn's banshee. So, you're squared off on your stay. Food and drink after last night is not included though." The smile faded quickly after. “Vidblainn may seem uncaring towards his other half, but it’s all an act. Don’t tell Vid I said that though, I might lose my best customer.”

"Ah, so if we keep helping that woman, we'll be rewarded with more free stuff?" 

"It's not free if someone's paying for it, Kanata…" Aegis was worried over this trail of thought from the young man. 

Yuna clapped her hands excitedly. "It's free for us, so zat's all zat matters, Aegrouch. Ah, 'ow I wish to thank her for her generosity in sweet-talking ze man to pay for our stay." 

Aegis nodded, "It's even more important now to properly thank them both."

"I can help you get an audience with the mysterious Vidblainn and co. again. But you all should first sign up for that call. It always gets filled up since it pays the highest, but I'm letting you all get first dibs." 

Kanata beamed, "Wow, thanks! Is Vidblainn that special to you?"

They shrugged, "You could say that; I'm at least Vid's closest confidant when visiting this town, who’s not the type to really connect with anyone else. So I'll help you out. Name’s Heim, by the way." 

  
  


**THAT'S UNIMPORTANT, SEE YA**

After they all signed up for the modeling gig (with Yuna “forging” Vicious’s signature), Yuna agreed to a job to help take down an abandoned market stand - which ended up just becoming Aegis’s job while she walked the marketplace with her favorite little couple for the next few hours. 

Luckily enough, Kanata and Misella ran into the banshee looking at scarves in a clothing shoppe. Yuna quickly left with Meatkyu to find Aegis, while the other two agreed to try to keep the banshee from disappearing. “Uhhh, miss! Wait!” Kanata called out. 

The woman smiled kindly while she switched her satchel to her other shoulder. “Oh, it’s the cute couple who helped me out last night. Did you get Vidblainn’s gifts?” 

Misella nodded. “We did- they were very nice and Aegis said the drawings are priceless so we will cherish them. Are you okay?” The girl noticed the woman looked tired, her forehead and nose were slightly red despite her warm skin tone.

“Priceless!?” She blinked in surprise, and a bit of embarrassment tinged her tan cheeks red. “Oh, I wouldn’t go that far, they’re just 30 minute sketches. What else did you ask- oh, yes, I’m fine. Just shopping for some new clothes for him.” 

Kanata questioned, “The closet was full of things for him, he needs more clothes on top of that?”

“Oh, did you rummage through my closet hoping to see what clothes I wore?” The woman smirked, a bit of mischief in her eyes.

The blond was quick to defend himself. “Ahhh no, I wanted to see if the clothes you designed were in there. Some of the jackets looked so cool!” 

“... Oh. Sorry for making you sound like a scoundrel. I haven’t tried making the jackets yet. Just haven’t taken the time to find the right materials to put it together. Plus, I’m booked until spring anyway, the night is the only real freetime I get most days. Once the specials are out, Vidblainn can take a load off and I can get some of my own work done.”

“Will he help you with your work like you help him?”

“Nnnnope.” Her tired smile was concerning.

“Why not?” 

“I don’t need him for my personal projects, just the ones that are popular.” 

"That doesn't seem fair though, aren't you doing most of the work on the specials?"

"Hmm, yes and no. We're working equally as hard on this. The effort each of us has put in it is identical." 

“But then, why aren't you getting any credit for these?” 

"Well, the story is targeted towards children, and the storylines are considered from a marketing standpoint to be aimed at young boys. So what young boy would line up for my limited poster signings? The answer? None.” She led the two teens to another market stand as she inspected some fabrics. 

“How many would care that I wrote those scripts and that the Titanium Tayuu was my first original character to introduce into the 5th arc?” 

She handed over payment to the merchant and gave a light bow. “No boy would even glance at me. I'm not a role model to them. They want to be like Vidblainn: the stoic man who bleeds the rhetoric of justice and devotion onto paper with pen and paint. That's who they care about.” 

She paused her tirade briefly, and Misella noticed how tightly the woman clutched her new materials. “...Even Sir Knight lit up like a forest fire when he met him… Ah, at least that's what Vid told me. I do appreciate your concern over me getting my dues, thank you. This arrangement has been in place no long after I was selected to be a guest writer for the series finale and main writer for the dramas. It makes no sense to change it up now. Oh, it's getting late, I’ve got to meet someone for a radio interview. I'll catch you two later at the inn." She darted away.

Kanata shouted after her, unsure of what else they could do to keep her still. "Wait, we don’t know your name!"

That tired smile appeared again as she spun around mid-run. "That's unimportant, see ya!" 

A minute too late, Yuna arrived with Aegis jogging after her. "Where, where is she?"

Kanata bowed his head apologetically, "She just left, she'll be back at the inn though so we can corner her there."

"Darn it! Did you get her name at least?”

Misella answered, "She wouldn't tell us. Said the exact same thing Mr. Chiral did: it's unimportant." 

"Alas, zis is getting more and more complex as we dig deeper. I’ll be doing some reconnaissance on my own. Don’t wait up for me tonight." 

  
  


**DRUNK CRETINS**

Sure enough night came and after a long day of answering some more odd jobs on his own, Aegis was finally able to find the woman again. She was sitting at the bar, in the seat Vidblainn had ignored earlier in the day. Her hair was loose in long wavy curls down her back, shifting whenever she moved to adjust her shoulders from leaning over the table. She was concentrating on the paperwork before her, dark eyes shifting over sketches, notes, and appointments. 

The ex-knight wasted no time, but was polite enough to make his approach known as he stood at the chair beside her. "Hello again. I am Aegis Alver, it is a pleasure to make your reacquaintance."

Her surprise was almost identical to Vidblainn’s reaction this morning, a brief second of shock before composing oneself to answer. "Likewise, Sir Knight. Guess I should stop calling you that. Aegis, that's a wonderful name."

He glowed under the praise, "Thank you, wh-"

She immediately turned back to her papers. "You’ll have to forgive Vidblainn, it'll be just me in the pub this evening. He was exhausted from the interviews and needs to rest for the night." A mug of beer landed in front of her and she quickly exchanged hands with the bartender with some gald. “You can talk to him tomo-”

“Ahhh, would you look at this!? Finally, someone to drink with!” Vicious’s lithe body separated the two as he motioned to the bartender to serve him as well. “I’m Vicious. What’s your vice, Miss Writer?” 

“Hi Vicious, I like ciders, vodka, and whiskey when I’m not working. As I was telling Aegis, the man of the hour is down for the count, you guys can shoot the fat with him tom-”

The dark haired man leaned into her space, forcing her to stop sorting through her papers. “Bah, I’m not interested in that quiet bore! I’m interested in you - starting with your name.”

Earthy eyes moved from Vicious to Aegis peering from behind him, her confusion turning into skepticism. “...Me?”

Aegis pulled Vicious’s arm back so he could lean on the table, “Yes, you!”

An odd look of frustrated amusement took over her features. “No, you don’t.” She turned back to her mug to take a swig. “You want to know me to know Vid. Just ask whatever you want, I'm not interested in half-hearted kindness."

"Jeesh, what kind of leash does he have you on?" 

"Odd question to start with. None, I'm the one walking him around. I'm sure the lovebirds told you about the arrangement.” 

A voice from one of the regular tables shouted across the room. “Hey guys, stop wasting your time with that prude. She’s not going to budge from her seat. Been like that for years.” The callous man laughed into his beer mug as his seatmates continued.

“Her manish behavior is exactly why her only friend is a quiet gay guy. He took a vow of silence for her or some crap.” 

Another table down overheard and a woman spoke up. “How rude! How can you say such insulting things in front of her and her friend!?”

“Because they misconstrued my friendliness and decency with sexual attraction and they’re all still mad that I didn’t give it up after each shitty date. Vid is the only person who knows me best, and I won’t have to worry about getting assaulted and raped in my sleep with him around.”

“Hmph, she’s doomed to become a spinster and die alone, and she seems ready from the looks of it.” Pity… you should see her when she’s dressed to impress.”

“Alright, alright!” She tilted her head at the drunks dramatically, the influence of the alcohol apparent. “I think the boys get it, I’m an old prude in a young body with only my work to keep me happy.” She slid the empty mug to the bartender, and pulled another small bag of gald out. “Cover the kids’ food and drink - whatever they want. If this doesn’t cover it, let me know in the morning and I’ll pay the rest. I’m heading back to my room, can’t focus here.”    
  
Vicious showed a small bit of disgusted concern as he watched her gather her things, "You're really gonna let them ruin your night?" 

The woman moved to readjust her hair in front of her face to avoid looking up at him. "These drunk kretins mean shitall to me. Like I said, my work keeps me happy. I need to finish some storyboard pitches and was only here to loosen up a bit and take in the initial friendly atmosphere. Evening, all."

One of the callers couldn’t shut up as she made her way out. "Even when you're loosened up, you still have a stick up your arse!"

"Keeps creeps like you from trying to crawl up it." She threw up an inappropriate gesture at the jeering men without a single glance back at them. Then she was gone.   
  


**WE'VE HEARD WORSE FROM VICIOUS**

The outspoken woman at the other table pouted at the scene. "Poor girl- you fellas oughta be ashamed of yourselves. It’s as she said, you’re just angry she didn't fall for your underhanded tricks."

"They weren't underhanded! We're at an inn, this is a bar, she's a woman - I'm a man! When I strike up a conversation with a hot chick and buy her drinks, it means -"

Vicious clicked his teeth, "It means you bought her shit. Not as some demented cheap tradeoff to get in her pants?" 

"Clearly you've never dated." 

"Don't need to to understand that food and drink doesn't equate to sexual favors. Explains why you're in here harassing women who will never sleep with you."

"We're just letting you know her true nature, she's a squalid shrew who thinks she's better than any guy who looks her way." 

The woman seethed, "No, she's a young girl who doesn't want to give herself away to any squalid man at a thespian pub." 

"23 ain't young!" The creep complained.

She screamed back, "It most definitely isn't old! Leave her alone!" 

"That body of hers is ticking away everyday, if she doesn't use it now, no one will want it later. And with her track record, she's got years of dust in that-" 

The bartender chucked a wet towel at the man square in the face."Shut up! Enough! Get that shitty attitude out of my bar, you goddamn vultures! You're in your 30's, stop blaming your failures as human beings on the women you only value as sexual objects!" 

"Umph, I'm never coming to this bar again, you lost my business." When he stood up from the table, he was surprised to find the bartender was still a good foot taller than him. 

"Mine too!" The smaller jeerer added.

"Don't need it, that woman you've been talking shit about has been supporting this inn for years and pays better than you two ever will in your lives combined."

"Ah, so you're only defending her for her money?" The man queried with a drawl.

The bartender snatched the beer bottle from the guy. "No, I'm defending her because she's a good person. Now get out!"    
  


The harassers left grumbling and the barkeep signaled a waitress to clear the table while he moved to set down the gang's food and drink away from the kerfuffle. "Sorry about that, I shouldn't have let it go on so long. Plus the foul language."   
  
Kanata beamed unashamed, "No worries, we've heard worse from Vicious!"

Misella smiled at the female bar patrons who were yelling at the offenders, "Is she a friend of yours?"

"Not really, she's a friend to the townspeople in a way. She's here seasonally and almost everyone who lives here knows about her. Tourists have to learn about her by running into her, which I'm sure you did."

The louder woman added, "She's a private person, but very friendly and approachable most of the time."

Kanata frowned, "Why won’t she open up to us though?" 

"The name thing? She does that as a joke, she'll tell you eventually if she thinks it's worth the effort."

"Worth the effort? How important is her name?"

"Quite, you'll understand when she tells you all. If she'll tell you at all. Are you here long?" 

Aegis informed the woman. "We stopped here for supplies and a repair to our boat, and are planning to leave again at the end of the week."

"Ah, then you might not win. Pity."

The bartender refilled the women’s wine glasses. "Well, I wouldn’t count these kids out just yet - they helped her out the other night and she's paying for their food and dinner tonight, along with their stay."

Vicious raised an eyebrow. "How much money does this chick have?"

"It's from her main job, her family has a slew of businesses that she helps manage in the off-season." 

"Off-season?"

One of the women nodded. "Yeah, she takes month-long breaks from that job to come here and pursue her passions. This town is a central hub for creative spirits. It's an annual thing for her to ‘vacation’ here."

"So her family thinks she's on vacation but she's actually just moonlighting a different gig?" 

The younger woman finger gunned at Misella with a wink. "You've got it. That’s the workaholic in her. She seems to be happy with the arrangement. The only downside is what you witnessed here - her horrid luck with the men she attracts." 

"That's why Mr. Chiral is around. He's a sort of shield to protect her. Doesn't always work though."

Misella glowered at her plate, already cleared of its protein. "If he'd hang out with her at night, he'd be more effective!" 

The woman shrugged as she lifted the wine to her lips. "You heard her, he's tired."

"He's tired every night? I'm sorry, but if you're her friend and know she gets pestered like this constantly, you ought to show up at least a couple nights a week!" Kanata fumed. 

The bartender produced a plate of creamy pasta and a couple dinner rolls as he appeared from the kitchen again. "Well, their relationship is a strange one. It seems to work for now though... Hey, would one of you mind bringing this up to her? She didn't eat much before she threw back that drink and I hope she's not dwelling on what happened." 

Aegis stood at attention, "I'll bring it to her." 

The man smiled, "Thanks, Sir Knight. I'm sure she'll be ecstatic, it's one of her favorites." 

**GO BACK TO YOUR FRIENDS**

Aegis took on his mission and strided up the stairs. At the end of the hall, he rapped his gloved knuckles on the door. 

A moment, and no answer. 

He tapped again, more curt than before.    
  


Muffled shuffling resounded as a result, and the door was cracked open. The curly-haired woman appeared, mumbling as she fussed over her hair in its new bun. "... for the last time, he's asleep and I'm exhausted so pl- Oh, Aegis? Sorry, thought it was someone else." Her eyes were a telltale red with the skin of her nose matching them, though she put on her best smile. "Did Misella eat her weight in steak? I told Heim’s new hire to bug me in the morning to pay the rest, I'll grab my -"

"Sorry to interrupt, but I'm not here for that. He gave me this to deliver to you - he was worried you hadn't eaten much after drinking."

"Fretting over me like a mother hen, Heim taught him well. Well… I really shouldn't but… you can come in and set it on the desk. I have to clean it off first though." She stepped aside for Aegis to enter and she closed the door behind him.

He began whispering, "Are you sure? I don't wish to wake -" 

"Oh, him? Right, he left for a walk again. I lied about him being here, I was… being too loud." A glance at the beds in the other room showed one messy bed and the other untouched save for some missing pillows, similar to the night before. 

"...I'm sorry we weren't able to aid you back there. The bartender did kick those ruffians out if you’re looking to return." 

"Hmm, I'll think about it. But probably not, don't want to sully the mood any further and I'm not looking to attract more unwanted attention while I try to work." She finished shoving papers into sketchbooks and notebooks and piling them on a corner of the desk. "There we go. I can take it from here." 

Aegis dodged her hands and shifted toward the table. "No, I'll set it down for you, if you need a listening ear I’m ha-"

His motion was stopped by a hand under the dinner plate and her body shielding the desk. "Aegis! Do not help me under some chivalrous obligation, please! ...If you're feeling bad for me and pitying me over what they said, don't help me. I don't need it." She looked up at him, a quiet rage in her dark, tired eyes. "Just let me do it myself if that’s the case."

Aegis thought back to Leon and his warning about Queen Rebecca - about how Aegis's half-hearted kindness could be more cruel than nothing at all. How he knew how the queen felt and he allowed things to fester until it resulted in her death. In front of him was a woman who seemed to understand that flaw, being both a victim and a fellow offender if the angry men were something to go by. But Aegis was convinced he had grown from that time, and straightened up, clearing his throat. "Ahem, I wish to help you, because I want to. No obligation or other action behind it besides wanting to help you. May I?"

Her eyebrows softened and he felt the pressure under the plate go away as she slowly stepped out of the way. “Okay… thank you.” She looked at the hot dish, and the corners of her mouth twitched uncomfortably. "I’m not coming back out tonight. I can't be seen like this, I have an image to uphold, y'know. Breakdowns are reserved for the most personal of spaces."

“... I see. Shall I keep you company until Vidblainn returns?” 

“Nah, it’s fine. The room’s been checked for bugs and I’m still able to feed myself, so I’m good. Go back to your friends.”

“Will you be fine on your own?”

A half-smile was given to him. “Always have been. Thanks again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a PWP and I've been adding plot to make it more interesting but I wonder if I made it boring in the long run. Maybe I should just drop the PWP sections and just post the explicit stuff...
> 
> Fun facts about knights. There's very little record of knights achieving their knight status before the age of eighteen. The stroke of adulthood was the time pages and squires could just begin to attempt to become full knights. 
> 
> A knight commander would have to have achieved some high accomplishments to earn that title and even then with how the ranks and organizations worked, a page or squire wouldn't be allowed an opportunity to be impressive enough on the field to be knighted in one swift act, even if a war wasn't being waged.
> 
> Bamco, Aegis can't be that accomplished and only eighteen. His army is canonically a mess without him, according to Leon, which means he has led them for a long enough time that adapting to a new commander is a difficult transition. We're looking at years of command and experience.


	3. The Challenge for the Escort and Assistant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit short, but that's because the next part is huge and I didn't want to lump it all together. I should be back on schedule next week, and the pron parts should be out by V-day.
> 
> Chapter 3 warnings: profanity, men making decisions for a woman without her knowing *shrug*, gratuitous description of fancy clothing

**I CAN NO LONGER STANDBY**

The following morning, Aegis found the silent writer at the bar again, this time sitting down in the chair he ignored the day before. “Good morning, Mr. Chiral. I’m surprised to see you again this morning in the same seat.”

Aegis was happy to see a kind smile on the gentleman’s face as he nodded and wrote his response.  _ It’s a routine, I wake up before the sun, do my daily exercise, and then get dressed and start my day with a glass of squeezed orange juice.  _

“I see. I long for a stable routine again. How’s your roommate doing? She had another rough evening.”

The artist huffed,  _ She’s staying in for the day. I take it you didn’t ask her name when you had the chance? _

“Pressing her further after the situation erupted didn’t seem right at the time. You really should tend to her when you have time to.” 

_ I don’t. She’s always been fine on her own. It’s not the first time she’s been heckled like that.  _

Aegis's aghast expression was not missed, though the artist tried to ignore it. He leaned on the table, whispering his discontentment. “Vidblainn, you can’t be serious.” Was this man really that callous and careless over his companion?

The man shrugged nonchalantly as his hand continued on paper.  _ It was just a little spider and some drunkards, do you really think she’s incapable?” _

He sulked a bit. “No, but no one should have to deal with anything troublesome or traumatic alone.”

Mr. Chiral dropped his head dramatically.  _ What’s troublesome is constantly being asked about her wellbeing... Do you pity her? _

Aegis recalled the solemn anger from the woman asking him the same thing. It pissed him off. “I want her to have better friends than her current company, a man who leaves her alone to be harassed at an inn is no gentleman. I’m only pressing the issue for her sake, I can no longer standby and watch her isolate herself each night.”

_ Well, you are correct that I am no gentleman. Don’t you all leave soon anyway? You’ll leave her alone eventually like everyone else. There’s better things in life than worrying about one person. Just live your life. _

Aegis slammed his hand down on the table, the barkeep was a little ways away watching.“And what about hers? She barely gets to live an existence at all from what I’ve seen.” 

Mr. Chiral gave up looking at the fuming fan and continued to write.  _ So you think your little connection will be something to save her from her perceived plight? _

“I’m not trying to save her. I’m just curious: she seems to care and take care of a lot of things for you and nothing seems to be done for her. So who’s taking care of her?”

Vidblainn stiffened, and then pointed to his ear, tapping the lobe. Dark eyebrows pinned together over the rectangular frames, a green eye staring a hole at Aegis.

But he didn’t falter, seeing that woman’s anger and loneliness last night stuck in his head. He did what Vidblainn asked and repeated himself. “If she’s handling all of your work, supplies, and affairs… Who’s taking care of her?”

The artist took a tight breath, not breaking eye contact. His mouth opened, teeth flashing as he prepared to speak. Then he huffed, clamping his mouth shut and returning to his notebook. 

_ Since you’re so concerned - you can take care of her. You’re looking for odd jobs, yeah? I’ll pay you to watch over the damn troublefinder. What do you say? _

Aegis glowered back. “I’ll do it, but the pay isn’t necessary.”

Brown bangs shook as the scribbling resumed.  _ Oh, I insist. You’ll want something worthwhile for that waste of time. You’ll start tomorrow. I’ve some things to prepare. Have a good day. _

~

The day was filled with odd jobs, Aegis getting duped into doing Yuna’s work, Misella unintentionally butting into Kanata’s work, and Meatkyu on the dangerous mission to keep an eye on Vicious - failing within the first hour of the work day. When The Great Transgressor reappeared late in the evening in time for dinner, Aegis got everyone caught up on his new job tomorrow.

“You agreed to do WHAT?” Vicious shouted. “Damn Aegis, what happened to planning shit out?”

“Zut alors, now I might have to do some work with my weak constitution.” Though disappointed, Yuna tapped her chin thoughtfully. “So you’ll be ze madam’s escort? We’ve only seen ‘er a few times and still don’t know ‘er name, are you sure you want to do zis?” 

“Sounds like Aegis’s bullish stubbornness has reared its ugly head again.” Misella pondered disappointedly while she stacked the empty plates.

Vicious examined the bottom of his wine bottle, sneering like it offended him. “Hell, he just needs to watch a grown woman for a few days. If that asshole Vidblainn is loaded, I say bleed him dry and maybe get something out of it. He had a point though, giving her this attention now, only for us to disappear later sounds like a waste of time.”

Kanata stopped wiping down the table to refute Vicious with a pump of his arm. “Well knowing Aegis, he’ll take it super serious, like when we escorted Luke! Plus we’ve made a number of good allies through things like this.” 

Aegis collected the last of the cups. “It’ll be fine, I start tomorrow morning. I only hope she won’t be upset about it.”

“Ze madam wasn’t there?” 

“No, she wasn’t part of the conversation, so I can’t imagine how she feels about it, hopefully Mr. Chiral tells her. Off to your rooms, everyone.”

  
  


**NEVER AGREED TO THIS**

Recalling that Vidblainn said he would wake up at dawn, Aegis assumed his assistant would do the same. The grumbling he heard on the other side of the door told him different. “Do you have any idea what time it is!” Furniture skidded across the hardwood floor as he heard her approach the door. “Heim, I told you my wake up calls are to be after the su-” The banshee, her braid and night clothes disheveled, swung the door open and upon seeing the ex-knight nearly slammed it back shut. She hid behind the frame as she reopened it just a fraction. “Oh. So you were serious?”

“Extremely.” He bowed as he reintroduced himself. “Aegis Alver, at your service. I’m to be your escort throughout your errands today.”

The cold stare he received was unsettling. “I never agreed to this.”

“I know, and I apologize, but your partner’s aloofness over your troubles was insulting and he in turn challenged that I wouldn’t be willing to be the friend he refuses to be for you.”

Her voice was completely flat. “So you’re doing this to defend the insult he posed?”

“No, I’m doing this because I want to. Just like the other night when I came to help.”

She stared at him a bit longer, then huffed in a way that reminded Aegis of Vidblainn the previous morning. “...Fine. I’ve got a lot to do today, so I hope you have your walking boots on. Give me a moment to grab my bag.”

“Alright.”

As Aegis waited by the door, he could barely make out her mild grumblings and frustrations over the situation through the thin walls. His gold eyes were downcast toward the ground - maybe he should have spoken to her first before butting in like this. There’s a lot that he might not understand about the working relationship Vidblainn has with his assistant. She just… looked like someone who needed help. And he couldn’t resist. At least she seems to understand that, even if it is a bother. The scuffling got louder again, signaling she was approaching the door. 

The woman re-entered the hallway, dressed in a black ribbed long-sleeve mock turtleneck shirt that cut off just past the elbow and sported a diamond keyhole in the center of her chest, the shirt’s waist was decorated in a snow white vest that shaped itself under her bust, the trim and edges of the vest were frilled in forest green ribbon. Her pants were just as dark as her shirt, and also clung tightly to her form as they were neatly tucked into knee-high riding boots that sported silver heels that helped her gain a few inches closer to Aegis’s eye level. The only thing that contrasted from her ensemble were the gold earrings she wore, accented with small red rubies in the center of the golden flowers.

“Mmokay, les go.” She spoke with a hair tie in her teeth and a hairbrush under an arm while she combed through her curls carefully with her fingers. Aegis inhaled a waft of sweet oils as she strided by, leading the way out of the inn as she continued to her work. He wanted to comment on the lovely scent, but the thought of Yuna’s fervent lies about him sniffing women made him keep his mouth shut while he followed the assistant down the stairs.

The innkeeper Heim, looked up from their book at the main desk. They looked very confused at the two leaving. “Hey, you’re up early! The carriage isn’t here yet.”

The woman looked over her shoulder briefly as she refused to break stride. “Things changed, I’m walking since I’ve got a bodyguard now.” She pointed her hairbrush at the gentleman tailing her. “Tell Chary to pick us up an hour after noon, thanks Heim!”

The owner shrugged with a low chuckle, “Heh, alright. Hope you get there on time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish all readers who made it here a very lovely week and that something you may have loss returns to you soon. Thanks for being here.


	4. The Transgressor and the Storyteller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, we get the banshee/lady of a thousand names/assistant's name! I wasn't joking that this chapter was substantially longer.
> 
> In-chapter warnings: Mise-en-abyme aka a-story-within-this-story (it'll be in italics), transgressor prejudice, implied racial and sexual prejudice, crying children, sad smiles.

**WHEN MONEY’S INVOLVED**

The walk was mostly quiet, Aegis observed her pulling her hair into a high ponytail, the long curly strands impressively still reaching her lower back. She declined his offer to hold her hairbrush stating she didn't want to stain his gloves with the oils and lotions she uses. As she finished off straightening out the curls she had left out to frame the sides of her face, Aegis belatedly realized she left the inn before she was truly ready. Maybe she didn't want to keep him waiting any longer? "I am truly sorry for disrupting your plans like this."

"No worries, I haven’t gotten to go on a morning walk in years."

He perked an eyebrow, "Curious, why is that?"

The woman languidly stretched her arms toward the sky, her head swiveling in search of something. "Been too busy, too tired, whatever. The marketplace is nice and quiet this time of hour. Everyone’s still setting up and… ah-ha!" She broke off into a jog, forcing Aegis to chase after her to a food stand.

The smell of eggs and other meats permeated the small space of the stall. The cooks sitting over the small fire-warmed stove smiled as she approached. "There you are, we were worried we wouldn't see you this year!" The elderly gentleman declared.

"Never! If my favorite newlyweds don’t see me during the winter season at least once, assume I'm dead! My usual, the sausage egg and cheese please, and whatever he'd like to order." 

His wife was quick to crack an egg over the stove and set up the other ingredients to the side. "Oh? And who is this?" She eyed Aegis with an almost mischievous smile.

"Oh, my name is-" It was then he remembered that the few people they've met might be friendly, but he couldn't be sure about the whole town. He almost fell into his habitual knightly routine. Vidblainn's assistant caught on though.

"This is my bodyguard for the day, Aegis. Yes, he's who you think he is. No need to worry, though, they’re pretty harmless."

"I dunno, Missy…" Her husband leered at Aegis. "He looks dangerous to me, being the one who seduced that queen out in Medegal from Vision Central a whiles back. How do you know you’re not just his next victim?"

"Dangerous? Pfft. Not when money's involved. And there’s no wrongdoers to kill here unless you count the dine-and-dashers. It’ll be fine. Plus you all know how well it’s went for men to try to seduce me." 

“I know, but maybe the boy’s got a penchant for royalty and considering you’re--” Aegis wasn’t blind to the odd look the assistant gave the elderly man to make him pause mid-sentence. “-- practically a royal to us here?” The man then turned to Aegis, “Hear that? You better watch yourself with her, your tricks won’t work here.”

The elderly woman mulled as she finished wrapping the breakfast foods into a thin flatbread. "Ooh, Alecto's going to flip when he hears about this."

The curly haired assistant exchanged a handful of gald for the wrap. "Then don't tell him I made friends with the most notorious transgressors in our current history. He doesn’t need another heart attack. Now Aegis, what'll you be having?"

"U-uh. I'm afraid I don't have much of an appetite." He looked away just in time to miss his escortee’s saddened expression, she glared at the chefs and silently gestured at them to fix the issue.

"Oh dearie, we didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. We’re just weary is all. If our little starlet here trusts you all staying here, then we’ll make do. Just know if any of you harm her, you’ll have an entire town coming for your heads.”

“I’ve taken on the task of protecting her, and plan to see through my assignment to the end.”

“What a little soldier! Be careful that it stays that way and she doesn’t end up protecting you, har-har!”

“Alright, you’ve hit your quota of insulting customers for that day -you two play nice with us young people, okay?”

“Of course dearie, thanks for stopping by. Keep a good eye on her, Aegis.” 

“I shall.”

When they were out of earshot of the stall, the assistant spoke up. “Sorry about that, I want to say it’s because they’re old, but they acted the same way with me when I first started showing up in this town.”

“They were merely trying to protect you.” 

She kept looking at her breakfast wrap, toying with the parchment paper protecting it. “Yeah, with preconceived judgement. Some people never learn.” Then she ripped the wrap in half, and handed a halve to Aegis.

“Oh, I couldn’t. That’s yours.”

“It’s mine to share. They’re good at food, and she always packs these things like I’m going off to war. Plus I… I hate eating alone.”

Aegis thought about Vidblainn’s habit of always being away, and surmised that must really include any gatherings for food. Then he remembered how she looked before sending Aegis away that night. The thought steeled his resolve, and he accepted the offer without any further qualms. “I understand, thank you.” 

She gave that same small but tired smile, “Thanks, Aegis. I appreciate it.”

**AT RISK FOR CORRUPTION**

Their walk was relatively quiet the rest of the way, she didn’t make any further detours, leading him to a vocational school. She waved at the school guard, and walked straight to the library at the center of the school grounds. She knocked at the door, and turned back to Aegis. “I guess I should have told you where we were going. You don’t have to do anything, just stay in the back and watch? If you get bored, feel free to leave - or sleep.” 

Before Aegis could ask any questions, the door opened. 

“Oh, you’re just in time. I just got them all to sit down.” The young teacher smiled and opened the door the rest of the way for the two to enter. “Hey kids, your favorite storyteller is back!”

The library was large and spacious, and at the end of the room was a greek theater seating by the children’s section. The stairlike seats were filled with small children of various ages. Small eyes connected with the newcomers all of them started cheering and yelling their greetings while the teacher attempted to silence them again. Aegis watched Vidblainn’s assistant immediately try to assist in shushing them by asking the kids, “Which one did you all want me to tell today?”

A little red-haired girl perked up and raised her hand from her seat on the floor, speaking without being called on. “Oh, Jorge missed the day you told us about the warrior monk and sorcerer prince!”

The child that Aegis would guess was Jorge grimaced at his fellow classmate. “Eh, is it a romance?”

“It’s got a lot of action in it. There’s the dragon guardians of virtue that they have to fight. But the sorcerer prince is madly in love with the warrior monk so I’ll give you that warning. How about it, Jorge?”

The little boy pondered a bit, while his classmates whispered little pleas to him to agree. “Then can you tell the story of Star Commander Romeo tomorrow?”

Aegis was surprised to feel hands on his shoulders, as he was directed to the top of the stairs toward the back of the class. “Of course! I tested that story with you and a couple of the other boys here, do you think everyone else will like it?” The assistant was careful to step around the kids as she walked back down the steps to the center circle of the stage. 

The boy’s mop of hair shook as he confirmed with a bright little “Uh-huh!”

“Excellent, it’s a deal! Now then... The Komodo Knights and the Dragons of Virtue…”

  
  


~

  
  


Aegis found himself enveloped in the story, laughing whenever the prince’s flirtations failed to reach the cold warrior monk, and having to do his best to keep his mouth shut when she’d ask her young audience for advice on what the duo should do to defeat each dragon. Then he noticed a pattern, where after each victory, she gave the kids the choice for the duo to spare or kill the dragon. She quietly let them debate amongst themselves each time.

“They could make some nice armor out of the hide.”

“But these dragons are ancient, you can’t kill them!”

“The evil king possessed them, someone else can too!”

“The warrior monk doesn’t kill though!”

“So the prince can do it!”

“No! He promised her after the fight with minor dragon Paigon the Childeater, that he’d never kill either!”

The kids all stopped when a new voice entered the discussion. “Well this is the 5th opponent, and you’ve already decided to spare the first 4 dragons. What’s different about this one? The fact that both heroes were found guilty of the sin of envy? Every previous dragon targeted just one of the duo for a sin and the other being the one with the opposing virtue, but this one dragon nearly drowned them both in their shared sin. The Prince and Warrior both found their dedication and loyalty to each other just like before. It just took longer. Is that really grounds to kill the dragon that nearly dissolved their relationship?” 

The kids were quiet, staring at the ex-knight who had a hand to his brow as he contemplated. He then realized that he spoke of that aloud and clapped a gloved hand over his mouth. “S-sorry!”

The storyweaver laughed and pitched in to get the conversation going. “Well, you heard the kids, these dragons are susceptible to being corrupted again, the king did it once, who’s to say someone else might come along and collect them again for conquest?”

Aegis took on a serious pose, leaning forward as he solemnly asserted, “Being at risk for corruption is not grounds for death.”

Her mouth curled into a half smile as she sat back on her hands. “Oh? Do elaborate.”

“Our heroes are just as faulty as the dragons. They hold a considerable amount of power and influence and I’m sure at a moment’s notice, something could go wrong and they could be led astray. We wouldn’t want our wayward couple to die for it. Would we?”

A number of kids nodded their heads, at least the ones old enough to understand him. “Then the golden rule applies here, we treat others with the same kindness we would like to receive. Thus I believe the heroes should continue to spare the dragons and allow them a chance to repent for the crimes they were coerced to commit.”

His escortee’s smirk grew almost into a full smile before the town bell tolled outside pulled her attention away. “Oh, debating is over now. Before you all run off to lunch, it’s democracy time. Thumbs up for a vote to spare the dragons going forward, thumbs down if all the dragons conquered should be killed.”

Majority voted for sparing the dragons, after the woman stared down Aegis when he wasn’t planning to vote with the kids- he shyly added his thumbs up. Then the teacher arrived to lead the children out of the room to collect their lunches. 

**EVERYTHING HAS A CONSEQUENCE**

“So, what’re your thoughts?” The woman rustled through her bag and produced two oranges, peeling one and handing it over to Aegis as she climbed up the stairs to sit beside him. 

He removed a glove before accepting the fruit. “Oh, thank you. On the story or your occupation?”

“Oh, this isn’t my job. I’m a guest here. I volunteered to test my stories with the children at this thespian school.”

“Why children?”

“They don’t pull any punches. Plus they haven’t been tainted by society yet, so with clear minds they can point out mistakes or lapses I may have in my story I haven’t caught. And I like kids.” She stared at her orange, playing with a slice. “...What do you think of the story so far?” As soon as the question was dropped, she popped the slice into her mouth. 

“It’s very intriguing, I wasn’t expecting to get so interested though I must say your acting talent is part of the blame for that, along with the intricate world you've woven. Each character is well thought out, even the talking dagger.”

“Pffft, no that’s too much praise! Please continue,” she smiled genuinely.

Aegis chuckled, “I’m curious as to what the duo will run into after they face off all seven dragons of virtue and sin. The prince isn’t strong enough to kill his father, and even dragged in the love of his life to help him dismantle the empire, knowing full well that she’s taken an oath to never steal a life. When they face him, what’ll they do?" 

"You'll have to stick around to find out." She winked. 

"I plan to."

"Any part that stuck out to you?" She finished the rest of her orange. 

"... Hmm. When the prince sacrificed his health in that poison ambush, you gave the choice to the kids to have the warrior either let him recover in the hospital alone or travel daily and collect materials for antidotes for the next 7 days to quicken his recovery.” 

A faculty member arrived with food for the both of them. The storyteller shushed them as they arrived and silently thanked them for the food while Aegis continued after giving his own thanks. “Thank you - but when they chose to help him heal faster, they ended up having the warrior lead the king's forces to the hospital, forcing the warrior to fight her way back to him. Was the decision the kids chose wrong? Should they have let him heal with time so his location wouldn't have been revealed?" 

She shrugged, the long curls moving with her. "It's life. You live with the decision you made. Everything has a consequence. If the kids decide to have her let him be, he'd never have learned that power to teleport and fly to save them both. And I think the gesture was nice, don’t you?"

“Well, that must mean that she loves him as well, doesn’t she?”

The woman nearly choked on her orange. “Hmm, don’t know about that - she’s only gathering items for antidotes to speed up the process. Maybe she’s impatient.”

“Impatient? She’s been a monk for twelve years. The patience she has must be immense.” 

The ex-knight was given a small pout in return. “She’s been called away from her passion to face a number of obstacles that had nothing to do with her.”

He nodded and added, “It does have something to do with her if she chose to interfere with the prince’s death sentence.”

She shook her head as she turned her seat to fully face Aegis. “They were both kids at that time, what did you want her to do? Stand by and watch him die in her backyard?”

“She did the right thing, it merely changed her path, her code and vows haven’t been broken.” 

“Hmm, I understand.” She fell back into her seat as she waited until Aegis was involved with his cup of water. “So do you like her?”

As she hoped, he sputtered and had to force himself not to choke and cough. “Urk! Ah, e-excuse me!?”

“You heard me. Do you like her?”

“Eh, she’s a character you created, so any opinion I may have could be misconstrued as I’m under Vidblainn’s employ to watch over you.”

The silence was disgustingly palpable. “Right. You’re being paid for this.” Her smile faded as she sank her teeth into the sandwich half with a sharp bite. “Well, I have some notes to review before the second act.” She turned away to fiddle through her bag for a worn notebook. 

**THE MYTH OF ANDROGYNOUS**

_ “With her dying breath, she whispered to the prince. ‘Thank you for giving me another chance at life.’ Her hand fell away from his face as the color in her eyes faded. _

_ Prince Yori was overcome with grief, the love of his life gone in his arms. He had to do something, but none of his spells could bring her back. What could the sorcerer do?” _

Every child in the room was in tears, mourning the heroine’s death. The supervising teacher was amiss with what to do. Aegis was racking his mind for solutions. The narrator was much too pleased with it all. 

“I said, what could the sorcerer prince do? Jorge? Any ideas?”

The boy was stammering through his sobs as he shook his head. “Xishi’s the he-he-he-hero! She can’t die here! Yori ha-ha-has to come up with-th-th something, wah!” She stopped her pantomime of holding the dead warrior monk to reach over to the boy and pull him close. 

“Collectively, you are all of Yori and Xishi’s spells and powers. I think you all can work together to help him out.” She patted the boy’s head softly. “Come on, everyone, you’ve thought your way through 8 dragons and beaten a tyrant king. How do we save our heroine while her greatest admirer and her living dagger mourn?”

A lightbulb went off in Aegis’s head. “The dagger.”

“Sir Kni-- I mean, Aegis - did you say something?” Despite the surrounding wails of the children, there was a small smile creeping onto her lips. 

Gold irises connected with a warming gaze as he began to percolate the story’s elements. “Prince Yori’s first magical contract was with a wind goddess, but we learned that was actually his late mother, playing the invisible guardian. When Xishi saves him from the child-eating dragon Paigon in their youth, she’s gifted with a mysterious dagger that transforms into any weapon she can wield. The talking dagger Undas merely claims he was born of her selfless act to save Yori, but the dagger holds more secrets. 

The Traitor of Time, Zixu, exclaimed in her timeline when Yori passed from his fatal wound, Undas dissolved into the shell of a dagger in her hand. Which means the dagger’s lifeforce is directly connected to the prince’s. Yori’s mother would never contract her son’s soul to protect him, the dormant power within him spiraled to create a weapon for the girl who saved his life. He gave a fraction of his soul to Undas, not the wind goddess. That’s why Yori couldn’t wield Undas until he established a stronger bond with Xishi, the soul fragment was rejecting him. 

With Xishi’s death before us at this moment, Undas has not faded away, and is instead resonating with Yori. If Yori’s capable through his demi-god blood to create a living weapon with a part of his soul, then he should be able to save Xishi, who also has demi-god blood in her as well.”

The storyweaver wiped away little Jorge’s tears as she questioned Aegis. “So you want Yori to take her soul and create another weapon with it?”

The ex-knight shook his head, his hand on his chin in thought. “No, it wouldn’t be right. Could the soul fragment be sacrificed to bring Xishi back?”

The storyteller shot the idea down. “Losing Undas would be troublesome for the couple. Not to mention she’s already dead, a fragment of a soul wouldn’t be enough to bring someone back to life.”

“Then ... Both Yori and Undas have to sacrifice their lives to bring her back. His whole soul is insync at this very moment. This would be his strongest spell as well.”

Her eyebrows disappeared into her bangs. “What if it doesn’t work?”

“It has to! There’s no other choice, any more time and her soul could be very well lost forever in hell.”

“Kids, do you agree? Should Yori and Undas join together to bring Xishi back?”

Sniffles and shakes of agreement resounded over the little crowd. The storyteller sent Jorge back to his seat, and became the narrator once more. 

_ “The prince stared down at the still form of his love. His heart was shattered - and that’s when he remembered. ‘Undas… I know you hate my ideas, but will you listen to this last one I’ve got?’ _

_ The sword trembled, ‘I’d say no, but… she’d want me to hear you out at least.’ _

_ ‘I know what you are, finally. You’re me. A part of me. I’ve been protecting her in more ways than I was even aware of and even all of that couldn’t stop me from losing her. When she broke her dagger on Paigon’s tail, she kept hitting the scales with her bare hands, doing everything she could to try to save me, a complete stranger at the time. Now I have to do the same for her. Undas, you are the bridge that ties us together and keeps us intact. I want you to transform into a double edged blade, impale us both. Take my life to get hers back.’ _

_ ‘You’ve gone mad, your contract was to never harm her. If you break it-’ _

_ ‘The depths of hell will open and I will have to answer to them. I can only hope I can see her at the gates to pull her back.’ _

_ ‘... Place me in her heart. I’ll transform and you can do it yourself. I may be part of you, but we’re not collectively that crazy.’ _

_ The prince took the dagger and slowly, tearfully, pierced her chest. Yori’s face was wet, and he noted the hilt of the dagger was as well. ‘So you can cry too, huh, Undas?’ _

_ ‘Shut up and die already,’ the weapon fired back, the hilt extending and shifting into another dagger.  _

_ Yori stared at the blade, his chest tight and then looked up at Xishi’s unbreathing form. He took one last breath, and hugged her to him. The pain was quick, he couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Everything went cold, starting from the blade. He could only think to hold her tighter. His vision blurred, and he couldn’t hear anything but his own staggering heartbeat in his ears - even that faded away into silence. Unable to tell if he could even feel her close to him anymore, his mind raced through his death, determined to find her.  _

_ The darkness was encumbering. The cold immense, the demonic whispers of a broken vow itched into his brain. ‘Tiiiiiiimmmeeeee tooooooooo coooollllleeeeeccccttt…’ Ice gripped his throat. ‘Poor little prince… just like his father, unable to save those closest to him.’ _

_ ‘L-l-let m e s-s-s-see her...’ The prince demanded. _

_ ‘Why? So you can disappoint her once again at the gates of Hell?’ The whispers taunted. _

_ ‘No. Xi’s my sunshine. You can’t take her away. You can’t. I won’t let you. And you wanna know how? Because I will shatter my soul into a million pieces and contract every single demon on this wretched planet that had no home for me until she came into my life! Good luck handling the influx of human souls when I--” _

_ A deadpan voice, with just a small bit of amusement echoed warmly inside his bleeding heart. ‘Yori, you know you’d never do that.’ _

_ ‘You saw Ajax, hell, he went crazy when you died. That means I’m just as capable if not more s-’ _

_ ‘It’s not a question of capability, you proved you were the stronger sorcerer - it’s your humanity. Calling forth a reckoning like a sulking, spurned god over a half-blood like me is not who you are.’ _

_ ‘But, I need-’  _

_ ‘I need you too, Yori. But not like this. The underworld let me see something I shouldn’t bring back, but I’ll bear that sin if you hold on to your virtue. Can you do that for me?’ _

_ ‘A-anything…!’ _

_ ‘Then join me. We’ll fight as one and save the world one more time. Together.’ The prince felt the warrior’s presence, her soul, warming his own. With whatever phantom limbs he had, he reached out and hugged her to him, much like he did to her cold still form on earth. The fires of the underworld trembled and erupted, being engulfed by the joining of these souls.  _

_ There was a secret that the gods hid - that humans today are half as powerful as they were when they first came into creation. Literally. A human had two faces, 4 arms and 4 legs, and were forever happy, never fearing the gods. Godkind wasn’t pleased with it, and so to gain control over humans, they split them in half, into the people we all are now - One face, 2 arms, and 2 legs. Humans usually spend the rest of their lives looking for that other half, some spend multiple lifetimes looking for that so-called Soulmate.  _

_ What happens when two demi-gods with half-human souls combine into one? They surpass the Ultimate, surpass gods, and become something more powerful than the myth of Androgynous. _

_ The face of an exiled prince, the face of a righteous monk, the 4 arms that protected each other and 4 legs that walked together as equals. That new, complete being stood from their prone position on the earth and posed proudly, renewed and ready to fight the goddess of strife one final time.”  _

The storyteller took a deep breath as she enacted the fighting pose of the divine entity. Then she straightened up. "And that's it for today. Thanks for listening, kiddies!" 

The little crowd was in an uproar, but the teacher was quick to quiet them with a practiced clap of her hands. "Now, now class, you know the routine. She'll be back with the end of the story next time. Now let's thank our presenter and get ready for the academic hour."

**WHAT THE CHILDREN CALLED YOU**

The end of the session went smoothly with the kids adamant that she return soon. Aegis was left with a number of questions and trying to find a way to ask them without offending his escortee as they rode in a carriage off to their next destination. 

The woman was preoccupied with taking down her ponytail and braiding her loose hair into two large braids, but noticed the queries worrying lines into his face. "You’re going to cause wrinkles. What's on your mind?"

Aegis blinked, "Oh, I was just wondering… about what the children called you before we departed." 

She laughed as she recalled, "A meanie for leaving them hanging?"

He quickly dismissed the assumption. "No, no. They called you 'Mrs. Chiral'. It feels rude to ask but -" His eyes turned to look at her jewelry-bare hands. 

"It's fine. No, I'm not married, the kids call me that because they're used to their teachers being called 'missus' since most of them have tied the knot."

"Ah, I see. So is your surname truly…?" 

"Chiral? Pfft, no. It's just easier to use around these parts. Plus it protects my family." 

"Protects them?" 

"In case I mess up, it doesn't tie back to them and ruin the family's name. If I caused a scandal of say, I dunno, fraternizing with transgressors and assisting in their avoidance of the law? No one would be able to trace me back to my family." 

"But what if something happened to you?" 

Brown eyes shot over to look at him with a threatening glare, assuming he was suggesting a threat of his own. A few seconds passed and she registered that he was truly concerned and she looked away just as quickly. "...Then they wouldn't know until I didn't come back home on time." She dug into her satchel for some hair pins. "Hadn't thought of it, really. I'm not the risk-taker I used to be so I doubt I'll get killed being the recluse assistant." 

"About your assistant position, how many of those stories that Vidblainn's been credited with yours?" 

"All of them." 

"Y-you're kidding." 

"Nope." 

"Why is he taking it all?"

"His appearance sells better. Men are misconstrued to be easier to deal with in the industry than women. And when it comes to the hardcore fanbase, it just makes more sense to them that a man made those stories and art." 

"The art too? So the one who submitted to the publishers was not him, but -"

"Me. Yeah. Vidblainn's look and personality came along as a shield for the fans not to be too offput by me." 

"But you've been at it for years and are a staple writer in the spinoff and official art, surely it's safe now."

"Heh, you'd hope so. As 'the assistant', I get blamed for any mistakes now. Any plot holes are forgiven for him as I was the blunder, which is true, since he didn't do anything." 

"This is… I'm so sorry." 

"Don't be, like I told the lovebirds, it's what I agreed to. I also have gotten more gigs and interviews too since taking him on."

"So what does he do?" 

"Exist, so I can feel safe sharing my work."

"Who knows about this?" 

"Just my employers when I got tired of the ruse. And now… you." 

"I see, I swear to keep your secret as well!" 

"Heh, thank you Sir Knight, I sincerely appreciate it." She tilted her head at the wide smile he wore. "How odd, I thought you'd be upset that you were tricked. Are you that happy to learn a secret?"

"No, I'm elated that one of my favorite artists wasn't the man I met - but the woman we helped the first night we arrived here. To be your escort is an invaluable experience, and I'm honored to have heard one of your original stories personally orated by your own voice." He was about to prattle , "Oh! That reminds me, I should ask for your autograph on the card you had gifted me." He stuck a hand in his coat to pull out the card from the inner pocket over his heart.

"..." Her eyebrows curled upward as she looked at him with an uncharacteristic softness. "Huh? O-oh!” She blinked away the mistiness in her eyes. “Sorry, I haven't seen this kind of… excitement over meeting me in a long time. No need to sign it again, that is my signature." 

"But it has Vidblainn's name on it?" 

"Mmhmm. That's my name." 

"Y-your actual name is Vidblainn!? Then who?" 

"He's Vidblainn in name only, makes things easier to remember.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope your skin clears and the weather for that thing you wanted to do allows you to do it soon.


	5. The Fan and the Vigilante

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The carriage ride gets sidetracked for these nerds to talk some more, and we check in on what the rest of the little transgressor mob are up to when their handler is away.
> 
> In-chapter warnings: Geeking out, Gossip, Unhealthy work/life balance, Misogyny, Excessive drinking, Profanity (1), Incel lamenting, Suggestive reference to sexual and emotional assault and abuse, Vigilantism and vengeance, Death mention (1), Murderous intent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Vicious so I make a point to give him fun things to do, like drink a lot. Yuna gets to some investigating too and I hope I show their partnership well.

**DOESN’T SOUND EQUAL**

“In name only? So he represents you and pretends to be you?”

“You’ve got it, like a live-in actor.”

“But you told Kanata and Misella that you both work on the project equally.”

“Well, we split the work of one person into two. I am Vidblainn, the fanartist and collaborator turned scriptwriter for Avalanche’s side stories. The other Vidblainn, handles all the appearances.”

Aegis gave a weary smirk, “That doesn’t sound equal.” 

Vidblainn shrugged with levity in her voice. “I’m a workaholic at heart and it’s fine for me. Since I’ve been away from home, sharing a workload with someone else has never been fun. It’s odd, I know - do you share responsibilities with your crew?”

“Er, well it’s more like delegating and telling them what to do to pull their weight. With the number of younger companions, they don’t understand how to live nomadically.” 

“Ah, I see. And the oldest- that’s the Great Transgressor, right?”

“Vicious, yes. He uses that status to shirk the most duties. Kanata easily forgives him since we need his power.”

“Curious, it’s like how Ritam in the spring show 2 years ago worked with that evildoer.” 

“Oh, Mitsu? Yes, it’s quite close to how they worked together. It was so nerve-wracking to watch Ritam continue to trust Mitsu no matter what issue he caused.”

“Well, Ritam had no choice, no one to turn to to help her out. Mitsu’s all she’s got. Plus he wasn’t all bad, just very selfish when things disinterested him.”

“But I think she should have swallowed her pride and called on Avalanche again?”

“Pfft, now you sound like the kids in my classes. Avalanche can’t be everywhere, sweetheart. You have to use what you have available and leverage the system as best you can.”

“But this was set 4 months after the resolution of the 3rd arc, right?”

“Somewhere around that time. Why?”

“Well then, at least half of the team was preoccupied with recovering from the final battle and the other half-” 

“Wait, wait wait.” She stuck her head out the carriage window. “Khary? Can you do a few laps along the pier? I need more time before we head back - I have a fanboy I need to school.” Vidblainn briefly looked back at Aegis’s confused expression with an amused look of her own.

“Aye, ma’am. Best of luck.” 

The carriage’s direction was changed, and the writer sat back on her side of the car, rifling through her bag. “Where is it… I know I keep it, ah-ha!” A large, worn, folded parchment was retrieved, and she quickly unravelled it. The thing opened up and looked almost as if it could be a blanket. A moment passed before her head appeared over the large paper. “Well, get over here.” She clicked her heel at the space beside her. 

“Oh, okay.” Aegis took his new seat as she handed him a side of the parchment. It was covered in scrawls and lines and dates. “What is this?”

“The master timeline. No one at the studio was able to give me a clean one that made sense when I joined, so I drafted this up with everything I’ve learned. I’ve been crowned the timekeeper for all stories related to Silver Mechaknight Avalanche and company for this scribble monstrosity I started years ago.”

“Incredible!”

“Thanks, now wallow in awe as I prove you wrong. Point at the 4-month break after the 3rd arc.”

“Hmm, that’s up here in the corner…”

“Yeah, and do you see where…”

~

**BOTH EMPOWERING AND SUFFOCATING**

Meanwhile, Yuna finagled a job for Vicious he couldn’t refuse - taste-testing the new wines Heim received. The Great Transgressor was shuffling bottles around on the main bar counter while the innkeeper applied temporary pricing to each he rated. Kanata and Misella were tasked with helping out the wait staff and Yuna was chewing the fat with Heim about the town until Vidblainn and the banshee came up in their conversation. 

“Speaking of, ze banshee seems to have some ill attention from certain people around ‘ere. Monsieur Vidblainn included... ”

“I’m not one for gossiping, young reporter. You want answers, you’ll have to talk to the source.” 

“But neither of zem seem keen to tell us anything, and one of our own is alone wiz ze banshee right now. If she iz any danger to him -”

“Your friend isn’t in any danger, but might get caught up in some if he stays near.” 

Vicious eyed his empty mug. "Think it's time for the kiddies to leave, I'm a bit more intrigued by this, and this might be useful to know what our nagging nanny is getting into." 

The blond was bewildered, "Huh, why do we have to leave, Vicious?" 

Misella didn’t think twice about it though. "Come on, Kanata. You don't need to hear Vicious prying into the lady’s life. We should check on the boat’s repairs too." 

"Hmm, fine, promise you'll tell us later Vicious!"

"Since when did I take orders from you!?" He yelled after the two as they exited.

“I can understand not gossiping… Heim, can you tell me more about ze mysterious woman zat Monsieur Chiral has in hiz employ?”

“Sure, are you plotting something? Reporters 'round here like to drag up-and-coming talent before they lift off.”

“Zat may be true for other reporters, but I’m merely gathering information. Ze woman seems to be the reason zat 'e even is taking care of us in ze first place.” 

“I see. She's… complex. Let’s akin her to a princess from a far off land. Except that princess is hiding behind an aloof commoner. Or an angel in disguise, if that disguise was another person.”

Yuna sulked, “Pardon? You’re not making much sense.”

Heim took a heavy breath as they set up another glass for Vicious. “ _ She  _ doesn’t make much sense. That’s kind of the point. Let’s see… she has a presence. One that makes you look at her even when she has no reason to call your attention. It can be both empowering and suffocating. So Mr. Chiral is the remedy to that. He shows off her work to the masses, attends the interviews, goes to the meet-and-greets, so she can hone her craft in her fragile peace.”

“Fragile?”

“Sure she can avoid some aspect of dealing with people face-to-face. But she still sees the complaints, hears the jeers, hell - the woman can barely come down here to eat a meal without someone pestering her. She’s a mess. And everyone she lets near learns that pretty quickly. So, my advice - and hers - is that you should deal with Chiral instead of dealing with her.”

“But Monsieur Chiral hired Aegis to guard her.”

“Probably because he knows you all need money for that boat repair. And to hasten that discovery of who she really is, so you stop bugging her. It is a game for the most part.”

Vicious lulled, “So the two are playing a game? And what the hell do we get if we win?”

“You’ll always win against her. You get whatever you want that the fool can provide. Money, housing, gifts, clothes, food. She’s a friend to everyone who lives here and anyone who stops by - giving little shards of her heart to all.”

“And Chiral is some kind of shield for zat?”

“Kind of, he’s a shield from the unneeded attention. And a shield for everyone else who doesn’t need to meet her. Like I said - with Chiral around, she can do everything without putting anything on the line. You want stuff, go to Chiral and leave her alone.”

“Aegrouch isn’t going to let 'er be. Ze partnership seems to be miserably lonely for 'er. And 'e won't have it.”

“Yeah, if what you said is true, then he’s going to keep butting his nose into her business.”

Heim sighed while they cleaned another mug from Vicious’s growing collection. “That may just make her angry. Try to get the kind dope off her case, she’ll support you all from afar. That's how she wants it to be. This outing today is probably her attempt to convince him to stop or bore him away.”

**TOOK THAT TIME AWAY**

A new voice, coming from one of the normal restaurant tables behind the transgressors chimed in. “Tsk, get your friend away before he gets led on like every other sap.”

A third clean mug nearly shattered when Heim slammed it on the bar table. “Oh. My. Goddess. You bastards are like rats, and the poison isn’t working. Get out.”

The man waved them off with his hat. “I paid for my drink, and am waiting for my food. Get your cooks to speed things up.”

Heim sneered and turned to the kitchen entrance behind them, shouting in a language no one understood - except for Yuna. Yet with her basic studies, she could only make out the words “spit” and “rat”. The sound of a bell chimed twice from the other room and Heim turned back to the bar with eyes that screamed contempt. “We’ve had enough trouble stirring about the past couple nights, she’s due to return back soon, so if you’re not gone before then, I’m calling Alecto. Spout your lies, swallow your swill and leave.”

Yuna took a seat at the man’s table, Vicious standing behind the chair. “So! It seems you had a  _ rencontre  _ with her. What can you tell us so we can save our friend?”

As planned, the man beamed at the pretty young woman's attention and opened right up. “Yeah, unlike some of the other blokes, I actually started off as a friend and went on a couple dates with her.”

“I see, what’s she like?” Yuna tented her hands and rested her chin on her fingers. 

“Fake. All the friendliness goes away in a heartbeat, she used to always lend a hand, an ear, a shoulder when I needed it. Then it stopped not long after we started dating.” The man took a swig of his beer. 

“What replaced it?” Vicious was mildly intrigued. Messing with the woman the other night revealed she had some hidden fire in her, something that was thinly suppressed.

The man looked down at the table, reluctantly recalling his memory like he had to dig for it. “Anger. She was always angry. But when I’d ask, she’d smile it away. She won’t let you in. I fought for months, cornered her a few times, and then finally… I gave up. She took advantage of it and cut things off immediately, friendship and all. Then has the gall to smile at me like we’re still friends in passing, knowing she took that time away from me. It’s like those months didn’t matter to her.” 

“Ah, you poor thing. ‘Ow troublesome.”

The complainant kicked back another gulp of his beer. “Everyone was rooting for me too, saying I’d be able to save her from her work, change up her life.”

“Sounds like she didn’t want to change for ya.” Vicious snatched a fry off the hot plate the agitated waiter brought out. Yuna quickly tapped his hand to return it, silently warning him not to eat it.

“I wasn’t asking her to change, she was kind and happy when we met. Our friendship was fine, I wanted more and she agreed with me without a second thought. And then immediately shut me out. She led me on thinking she liked me back. All that time was a waste. She hasn’t dated seriously since. Don't know if she's  _ ever _ dated seriously.”

“Probably because you and the other jaded fools keep coming in here to bug her and anyone trying to shoot their shot.” 

“She just doesn’t understand herself. She doesn’t get that she's tricking everyone with her niceness. And you're all falling for it too!” He slammed both hands down on the table in his tipsy stupor, causing Yuna to jump back in her seat.

Yuna then did something that doesn’t come naturally to her - she kept her mouth shut and did her best to avoid looking past the interviewee, allowing Vicious to further distract the man from what was quickly approaching. 

Aegis had arrived, and his escortee separated from him immediately to make a beeline for this particular table. The twin braids woman took the drink from the lamenting man's hand and dumped the remaining contents on his head. “Oh, Apon. I thought I made it clear the last 4 times- you’re not supposed to be here anymore.”

The man stood up, attempting to tower over her, but only had a couple inches of height to utilize for his scare attempt. “You absolute bitch! You can’t tell me where I can’t go! I oughta-- ” He raised a hand threateningly. She didn't move an inch, while the transgressors all prepped to interfere. 

The woman merely smirked and nodded. “Go on, everyone’s watching Mister Smiles... Hit me, show them who you really are. They know who I am. I want one night to eat in peace and your slimy ass shows up at the end of my good day. I’m certain Heim already told you once. Get out, and don’t say another word if you want to keep up appearances.” 

Apon gritted his teeth, and walked off, pushing into her shoulder along the way. She was already striding over to the bar. She leaned over the counter and grabbed some towels. 

Heim frowned, “We can clean that up.”

The anger was gone and replaced with an apologetic smile, “I made the mess Heim, I’ll clean it up.” But Vicious could see it in her hands, how they trembled as she began to wipe off the spilled beer off the table and chair. “Doesn’t even drink good beer,” she mumbled to herself. 

  
  


**CAN I ASK WHY**

Yuna knelt down beside her while the banshee moved to clean off the floor. “Madame, are you okay?” 

“Heh, I just dumped beer on a man’s head. I’m doing fantastic. You can’t tell me you haven’t wanted to do that to someone before.” The witty comment calmed her enough to stop scrunching her eyebrows together. “Sorry you had to see that.”

“Can I ask why you did zat?”

Mahogany eyes darted around the floor, looking for any missing spills. “He’s a sham. And paints me as such. Which makes sense. He hurt someone close to me, bad. Used his physical strength to get what he wanted from her in private.” She wrung out the towel and grabbed a clean one off the table. “Then after she did everything in her power to stay away from him and avoid him while he kept pushing to be in her life, he connected with me and started to use that as a way to talk to her again. She finally told me what happened, and I…”

She sat back on her hunches and looked over at Yuna. “I did what he said. I led him on. Pulled him in with fake feelings so he’d leave her be, and once I had him - I made him feel what she did. Trapped, betrayed, powerless. He’s a pathetic man who needed to pay for what he did. He’s the kind of guy who’s nice to everyone but misses a number of social cues- and uses that as an excuse to act out against women he finds himself attracted to.

That’s the case with most of the people that come to heckle me. They did something to someone I care about, so I go in and I mess up their foul hearts some more.” With the floor cleaned, she stood up, and looked over at Vicious as she flicked the vision orb sitting on her hip. “I punish the ones who committed crimes and sins that these dumb orbs will never catch, I do it for the people who can never project the crimes to Vision Central for fear of their invaded bodies being put on display for everyone to see. This system doesn’t solve everything, and misses so much more.”

The black-haired transgressor smiled wickedly, “Well, when they find a way to brand you, it’ll be quite the witch hunt. Hope I’m there to see it.”

She pushed her twin braids over her shoulders before settling her hands on her hips. “If you are, you better give me a good weapon to smite with. A gun or dagger’ll work, if I got a say..”

He leaned into her face, a bit miffed she didn’t shy away. “Oooh, thought about it, have ya?” 

She nodded. “Oh, of course. Hearing about the Nation of Sin and wondering if it existed, learning about you all weaponizing your sins… it’s like a deranged fairytale.” The woman pulled out a bag of gald and exchanged it with a nearby waiter for a handful of paper menus. “I wished my uncle could have run into you all when he was branded. He was the kindest man ever, and physically strong to boot. A woman took advantage of that kindness and dragged him down a path of crime. Protecting those fiends whittled down his spirit, his strength, and got him killed in the end, she got out of it scot free and still commits crimes to this day.”

Vicious stepped out of her way when she tapped his hip so she could reach the chair he was blocking. “So you’d take her out before the enforcers catch ya?” 

She pushed the table toward another table, Aegis quickly hopping over to assist. “I would, no hesitation - if she didn’t have my uncle’s kid. If I wouldn’t leave the kid parentless, I’d give the enforcers a real reason to wipe me off this earth, and even then, I don’t think I do a bad thing in taking her out. But that’s plain ignorance talking. You all have hard lives to live and have done some tough things to survive, I understand that. I just get to entertain the thought until it happens. So for allowing me to be arrogant, dinner’s on me tonight.”

Yuna smiled with a mischievous grin, “As much as we’d love to take the offer, I’m afraid I’m not very comfortable eating with a nameless stranger.” 

The woman huffed a laugh through her nose. “I had a feeling you’d say that. Aegis, would you like to make the introduction?”

“Of course. It’s my pleasure to introduce you to Miss Vidblainn Chiral.” 

“WHAAAAT!?” The group turned to see Kanata and Misella's bewildered expressions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have Jury Duty and I'm frightened - I have to pass judgement on someone for a crime they may/may not have committed. I can only hope I am able to make a just decision and not regret it.
> 
> **If you made it this far, I hope that one cool or interesting thing you missed out on previously is repaid to you in a different form. **

**Author's Note:**

> If you made it this far, I hope you have a lovely and fantastic week, no matter when you read this. I'm a very private person and releasing my stories has made me extremely nervous. I write stories with unusual female love interests and have decided to give Aegis one that I truly hope fits him. I've rewritten these author notes 4 times to give you an idea of how nerve-wracking this is to me. 
> 
> Please feel free to point out any typos or sentences that make no sense - this was initially written as an idea dump and I tried to clean it up as best I can for others to read. 
> 
> Before You Ask: 
> 
> -The setting is before Chapter 6 since it hasn't been released yet so mister-lazybones-who-loves-his-wife-and-daughter will not be making an appearance unfortunately as I don't want to write something that conflicts with his canon personality.  
> -The story rating will increase up to Explicit as it develops.


End file.
